Today we embarked on our annual post-Christmas tradition of travelling by train to Melbourne to see the specially decorated windows at Myer. And it didn't disappoint.

This year, Myer partnered with The LEGO Group and Ryan "Brickman" McNaught to create an ambitious display with the theme of "A Playful LEGO Christmas Story", narrated by LEGO Masters host Hamish Blake.  It follows the journey of a child's letter being sent from the Melbourne Post Office to the North Pole. The iconic landmarks of the MCG and the Carols by Candlelight event at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl are both featured.

The entire six-window display includes:

• 488,215 LEGO bricks
• 700+ unique LEGO minifigures
• 1,700+ working hours
• 12 months of collaboration and planning between teams from The LEGO Group, Creative and Technical Director John Kerr of Stage ONE, US LEGO master builder Peter Donner, and the Brickman team

The Magic of Melbourne: Celebrating 70 Years of the Myer Christmas Windows

For seventy years, the Myer Christmas Windows have been more than just a standard retail display; they are one of Melbourne’s favourite holiday traditions, attracting over 1.2 million visitors each year.

In 2025, we celebrate the 70th anniversary of this iconic tradition that began in 1956.  Fred Asmussen had worked as a “wheeler boy", transferring products from one place to another in a wicker cart. He developed a talent for visual merchandising, and by 1939 was in charge of the Bourke Street windows.  While most department stores used their windows to promote products, Myer visual merchandiser Fred had a different idea. He envisioned a window that told a story. He wanted a purely artistic display that would capture the spirit of Christmas without focusing on the products for sale.

1956 was the year that Melbourne hosted the Summer Olympic Games, so the original theme was "Santa and the Olympics."  The success of the display resulted in Asmussen continuing with his idea each year, and he directed every window until his passing in 1974.

The windows have reflected the changing culture of Australia. From the classic children’s literature of the 1980s to modern pop culture icons, here are some of the most memorable themes from the archives: